Magnetic recording head having protected reader sensors and near zero recessed write poles

ABSTRACT

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having a substrate, read and write transducers positioned towards a media facing side of the module, and a closure. The write transducers include write poles having media facing sides with zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along the media facing side of a substrate of the module. The read transducers each have two shields. Media facing sides of the two shields are recessed a same amount from the plane, and are more recessed from the plane than the write poles.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to data storage systems, and moreparticularly, this invention relates to magnetic recording heads havingprotected reader sensors and near zero recessed write poles.

In magnetic storage systems, data is read from and written onto magneticrecording media utilizing magnetic transducers. Data is written on themagnetic recording media by moving a magnetic recording transducer to aposition over the media where the data is to be stored. The magneticrecording transducer then generates a magnetic field, which encodes thedata into the magnetic media. Data is read from the media by similarlypositioning the magnetic read transducer and then sensing the magneticfield of the magnetic media. Read and write operations may beindependently synchronized with the movement of the media to ensure thatthe data can be read from and written to the desired location on themedia.

An important and continuing goal in the data storage industry is that ofincreasing the density of data stored on a medium. For tape storagesystems, that goal has led to increasing the track and linear bitdensity on recording tape, and decreasing the thickness of the magnetictape medium. However, the development of small footprint, higherperformance tape drive systems has created various problems in thedesign of a tape head assembly for use in such systems.

In a tape drive system, magnetic tape is moved over the surface of thetape head at high speed. Usually the tape head is designed to minimizethe spacing between the head and the tape. The spacing between themagnetic head and the magnetic tape is crucial so that the recordinggaps of the transducers, which are the source of the magnetic recordingflux, are in near contact with the tape to effect writing sharptransitions, and so that the read element is in near contact with thetape to provide effective coupling of the magnetic field from the tapeto the read element.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having asubstrate, read and write transducers positioned towards a media facingside of the module, and a closure. The write transducers include writepoles having media facing sides with zero or near-zero recession from aplane extending along the media facing side of a substrate of themodule. The read transducers each have two shields. Media facing sidesof the two shields are recessed a same amount from the plane, and aremore recessed from the plane than the write poles.

An apparatus according to another embodiment includes a substrate havinga media facing side, and an array of read and write transducers. Thewrite transducers include write poles having media facing sides, and theread transducers each have two shields. The media facing sides of theshields are recessed a same amount from a plane extending along themedia facing side of the substrate.

An apparatus according to yet another embodiment includes a pair of readand write transducers above a substrate. The read transducer has twoshields. Media facing sides of the shields are more recessed from aplane extending along the media facing side of the substrate than mediafacing sides of write poles of the write transducer. The media facingsides of the shields are recessed a same amount from the plane.

Any of these embodiments may be implemented in a magnetic data storagesystem such as a tape drive system, which may include a magnetic head, adrive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium (e.g., recording tape)over the magnetic head, and a controller electrically coupled to themagnetic head.

Other aspects and embodiments of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken inconjunction with the drawings, illustrate by way of example theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a simplified tape drive systemaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a tape cartridge according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a flat-lapped, bi-directional,two-module magnetic tape head according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a tape bearing surface view taken from Line 2A of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2B is a detailed view taken from Circle 2B of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a detailed view of a partial tape bearing surface of a pairof modules.

FIG. 3 is a partial tape bearing surface view of a magnetic head havinga write-read-write configuration.

FIG. 4 is a partial tape bearing surface view of a magnetic head havinga read-write-read configuration.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a magnetic tape head with three modulesaccording to one embodiment where the modules all generally lie alongabout parallel planes.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a magnetic tape head with three modules in atangent (angled) configuration.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a magnetic tape head with three modules in anoverwrap configuration.

FIG. 8A is a partial cross-sectional view of a magnetic head accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 8B is a partial cross-sectional view of a magnetic head accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 8C is a partial side view of a media facing surface of a magnetichead according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 partial cross-sectional view of a magnetic head according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 10 partial cross-sectional view of a magnetic head according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 11 is partial cross-sectional view of a magnetic head according toone embodiment

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating thegeneral principles of the present invention and is not meant to limitthe inventive concepts claimed herein. Further, particular featuresdescribed herein can be used in combination with other describedfeatures in each of the various possible combinations and permutations.

Unless otherwise specifically defined herein, all terms are to be giventheir broadest possible interpretation including meanings implied fromthe specification as well as meanings understood by those skilled in theart and/or as defined in dictionaries, treatises, etc.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include pluralreferents unless otherwise specified.

The following description discloses several preferred embodiments ofmagnetic storage systems, as well as operation and/or component partsthereof.

In one general embodiment, a magnetic head includes a module, the modulehaving both read and write transducers positioned towards a media facingside of the module, wherein the read and write transducers are selectedfrom a group consisting of piggyback read-write transducers, mergedread-write transducers, interleaved read and write transducers, and anarray of write transducers flanked by servo read transducers; whereinthe write transducers include write poles having media facing sides withnegative, zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along themedia facing side of a substrate of the module; wherein the readtransducers each have at least one shield, wherein a media facing sideof the at least one shield is more recessed from the plane than thewrite poles.

In another general embodiment, a module includes an array of read andwrite transducers extending along a media facing side, wherein the readand write transducers are selected from a group consisting of piggybackread-write transducers, merged read-write transducers, interleaved readand write transducers, and an array of write transducers flanked byservo read transducers; wherein the write transducers include writepoles having media facing sides; wherein the read transducers each haveat least one shield, wherein a media facing side of the at least oneshield is recessed from a plane extending across the media facing sideof the write poles by at least 5 nm.

In yet another general embodiment, a magnetic head includes a pair ofread and write transducers selected from a group consisting of piggybackread-write transducers, and merged read-write transducers; wherein thewrite transducers include write poles having media facing sides withnegative, zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along themedia facing side of the substrate; wherein the read transducers eachhave at least one shield, wherein a media facing side of the at leastone shield is more recessed from the plane than the write poles.

FIG. 1A illustrates a simplified tape drive 100 of a tape-based datastorage system, which may be employed in the context of the presentinvention. While one specific implementation of a tape drive is shown inFIG. 1A, it should be noted that the embodiments described herein may beimplemented in the context of any type of tape drive system.

As shown, a tape supply cartridge 120 and a take-up reel 121 areprovided to support a tape 122. One or more of the reels may form partof a removable cartridge and are not necessarily part of the system 100.The tape drive, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1A, may further includedrive motor(s) to drive the tape supply cartridge 120 and the take-upreel 121 to move the tape 122 over a tape head 126 of any type. Suchhead may include an array of readers, writers, or both.

Guides 125 guide the tape 122 across the tape head 126. Such tape head126 is in turn coupled to a controller 128 via a cable 130. Thecontroller 128, may be or include a processor and/or any logic forcontrolling any subsystem of the drive 100. For example, the controller128 typically controls head functions such as servo following, datawriting, data reading, etc. The controller 128 may operate under logicknown in the art, as well as any logic disclosed herein. The controller128 may be coupled to a memory 136 of any known type, which may storeinstructions executable by the controller 128. Moreover, the controller128 may be configured and/or programmable to perform or control some orall of the methodology presented herein. Thus, the controller may beconsidered configured to perform various operations by way of logicprogrammed into a chip; software, firmware, or other instructions beingavailable to a processor; etc. and combinations thereof.

The cable 130 may include read/write circuits to transmit data to thehead 126 to be recorded on the tape 122 and to receive data read by thehead 126 from the tape 122. An actuator 132 controls position of thehead 126 relative to the tape 122.

An interface 134 may also be provided for communication between the tapedrive 100 and a host (integral or external) to send and receive the dataand for controlling the operation of the tape drive 100 andcommunicating the status of the tape drive 100 to the host, all as willbe understood by those of skill in the art.

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary tape cartridge 150 according to oneembodiment. Such tape cartridge 150 may be used with a system such asthat shown in FIG. 1A. As shown, the tape cartridge 150 includes ahousing 152, a tape 122 in the housing 152, and a nonvolatile memory 156coupled to the housing 152. In some approaches, the nonvolatile memory156 may be embedded inside the housing 152, as shown in FIG. 1B. In moreapproaches, the nonvolatile memory 156 may be attached to the inside oroutside of the housing 152 without modification of the housing 152. Forexample, the nonvolatile memory may be embedded in a self-adhesive label154. In one preferred embodiment, the nonvolatile memory 156 may be aFlash memory device, ROM device, etc., embedded into or coupled to theinside or outside of the tape cartridge 150. The nonvolatile memory isaccessible by the tape drive and the tape operating software (the driversoftware), and/or other device.

FIG. 2A illustrates the tape bearing surface 209 of one of the modules204 taken from Line 2A of FIG. 2. A representative tape 208 is shown indashed lines. The module 204 is preferably long enough to be able tosupport the tape as the head steps between data bands.

In this example, the tape 208 includes 4 to 22 data bands, e.g., with 8data bands and 9 servo tracks 210, as shown in FIG. 2A on a one-halfinch wide tape 208. The data bands are defined between servo tracks 210.Each data band may include a number of data tracks, for example 512 datatracks (not shown). During read/write operations, the readers and/orwriters 206 are positioned to specific track positions within one of thedata bands. Outer readers, sometimes called servo readers, read theservo tracks 210. The servo signals are in turn used to keep the readersand/or writers 206 aligned with a particular set of tracks during theread/write operations.

FIG. 2B depicts a plurality of readers and/or writers 206 formed in agap 218 on the module 204 in Circle 2B of FIG. 2A. As shown, the arrayof readers and writers 206 includes, for example, 16 writers 214, 16readers 216 and two servo readers 212, though the number of elements mayvary. Illustrative embodiments include 8, 16, 32, 40, and 64 activereaders and/or writers 206 per array, and alternatively interleaveddesigns having odd numbers of reader or writers such as 17, 25, 33, etc.A preferred embodiment includes 32 readers per array and/or 32 writersper array, where the actual number of transducing elements could begreater, e.g., 33, 34, etc. This allows the tape to travel more slowly,thereby reducing speed-induced tracking and mechanical difficulties,and/or execute fewer “wraps” to fill or read the tape. While the readersand writers may be arranged in a piggyback configuration as shown inFIG. 2B, the readers 216 and writers 214 may also be arranged in aninterleaved configuration. Alternatively, each array of readers and/orwriters 206 may be readers or writers only, and the arrays may containone or more servo readers 212. As noted by considering FIGS. 2 and 2A-Btogether, each module 204 may include a complementary set of readersand/or writers 206 for such things as bi-directional reading andwriting, read-while-write capability, backward compatibility, etc.

FIG. 2C shows a partial tape bearing surface view of complimentarymodules of a magnetic tape head 200 according to one embodiment. In thisembodiment, each module has a plurality of read/write (R/W) pairs in apiggyback configuration formed on a common substrate 204A and anoptional electrically insulative layer 236. The writers, exemplified bythe write head 214 and the readers, exemplified by the read head 216,are aligned parallel to a direction of travel of a tape mediumthereacross to form an R/W pair, exemplified by the R/W pair 222.

Several R/W pairs 222 may be present, such as 8, 16, 32 pairs, etc. TheR/W pairs 222 as shown are linearly aligned in a direction generallyperpendicular to a direction of tape travel thereacross. However, thepairs may also be aligned diagonally, etc. Servo readers 212 arepositioned on the outside of the array of R/W pairs, the function ofwhich is well known.

Generally, the magnetic tape medium moves in either a forward or reversedirection as indicated by arrow 220. The magnetic tape medium and headassembly 200 operate in a transducing relationship in the mannerwell-known in the art. The piggybacked MR head assembly 200 includes twothin-film modules 224 and 226 of generally identical construction.

Modules 224 and 226 are joined together with a space present betweenclosures 204B thereof (partially shown) to form a single physical unitto provide read-while-write capability by activating the writer of theleading module and reader of the trailing module aligned with the writerof the leading module parallel to the direction of tape travel relativethereto. When a module 224, 226 of a piggyback head 200 is constructed,layers are formed in the gap 218 created above an electricallyconductive substrate 204A (partially shown), e.g., of AlTiC, ingenerally the following order for the R/W pairs 222: an insulating layer236, a first shield 232 typically of an iron alloy such as NiFe(permalloy), CZT or Al—Fe—Si (Sendust), a sensor 234 for sensing a datatrack on a magnetic medium, a second shield 238 typically of anickel-iron alloy (e.g., 80/20 NiFe, also known as Permalloy, in atomicpercent (at %)), first and second writer pole tips 228, 230, and a coil(not shown). The sensor may be of any known type, including those basedon MR, GMR, AMR, tunnelling magnetoresistance (TMR), etc.

The first and second writer poles 228, 230 may be fabricated from highmagnetic moment materials such as 45/55 NiFe. Note that these materialsare provided by way of example only, and other materials may be used.Additional layers such as insulation between the shields and/or poletips and an insulation layer surrounding the sensor may be present.Illustrative materials for the insulation include alumina and otheroxides, insulative polymers, etc.

The configuration of the tape head 126 according to one embodimentincludes multiple modules, preferably three or more. In awrite-read-write (W-R-W) head, outer modules for writing flank one ormore inner modules for reading. Referring to FIG. 3, depicting a W-R-Wconfiguration, the outer modules 252, 256 each include one or morearrays of writers 260. The inner module 254 of FIG. 3 includes one ormore arrays of readers 258 in a similar configuration. Variations of amulti-module head include a R-W-R head (FIG. 4), a R-R-W head, a W-W-Rhead, etc. In yet other variations, one or more of the modules may haveread/write pairs of transducers. Moreover, more than three modules maybe present. In further approaches, two outer modules may flank two ormore inner modules, e.g., in a W-R-R-W, a R-W-W-R arrangement, etc. Forsimplicity, a W-R-W head is used primarily herein to exemplifyembodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art apprisedwith the teachings herein will appreciate how permutations of thepresent invention would apply to configurations other than a W-R-Wconfiguration.

FIG. 5 illustrates a magnetic head 126 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention that includes first, second and third modules 302,304, 306 each having a tape bearing surface 308, 310, 312 respectively,which may be flat, contoured, etc. Note that while the term “tapebearing surface” appears to imply that the surface facing the tape 315is in physical contact with the tape bearing surface, this is notnecessarily the case. Rather, only a portion of the tape may be incontact with the tape bearing surface, constantly or intermittently,with other portions of the tape riding (or “flying”) above the tapebearing surface on a layer of air, sometimes referred to as an “airbearing”. The first module 302 will be referred to as the “leading”module as it is the first module encountered by the tape in a threemodule design for tape moving in the indicated direction. The thirdmodule 306 will be referred to as the “trailing” module. The trailingmodule follows the middle module and is the last module seen by the tapein a three module design. The leading and trailing modules 302, 306 arereferred to collectively as outer modules. Also note that the outermodules 302, 306 will alternate as leading modules, depending on thedirection of travel of the tape 315.

In one embodiment, the tape bearing surfaces 308, 310, 312 of the first,second and third modules 302, 304, 306 lie on about parallel planes(which is meant to include parallel and nearly parallel planes, e.g.,between parallel and tangential as in FIG. 6), and the tape bearingsurface 310 of the second module 304 is above the tape bearing surfaces308, 312 of the first and third modules 302, 306. As described below,this has the effect of creating the desired wrap angle α₂ of the taperelative to the tape bearing surface 310 of the second module 304.

Where the tape bearing surfaces 308, 310, 312 lie along parallel ornearly parallel yet offset planes, intuitively, the tape should peel offof the tape bearing surface 308 of the leading module 302. However, thevacuum created by the skiving edge 318 of the leading module 302 hasbeen found by experimentation to be sufficient to keep the tape adheredto the tape bearing surface 308 of the leading module 302. The trailingedge 320 of the leading module 302 (the end from which the tape leavesthe leading module 302) is the approximate reference point which definesthe wrap angle α₂ over the tape bearing surface 310 of the second module304. The tape stays in close proximity to the tape bearing surface untilclose to the trailing edge 320 of the leading module 302. Accordingly,read and/or write elements 322 may be located near the trailing edges ofthe outer modules 302, 306. These embodiments are particularly adaptedfor write-read-write applications.

A benefit of this and other embodiments described herein is that,because the outer modules 302, 306 are fixed at a determined offset fromthe second module 304, the inner wrap angle α₂ is fixed when the modules302, 304, 306 are coupled together or are otherwise fixed into a head.The inner wrap angle α₂ is approximately tan⁻¹(δ/W) where δ is theheight difference between the planes of the tape bearing surfaces 308,310 and W is the width between the opposing ends of the tape bearingsurfaces 308, 310. An illustrative inner wrap angle α₂ is in a range ofabout 0.5° to about 1.1°, though can be any angle required by thedesign.

Beneficially, the inner wrap angle α₂ may be set slightly less on theside of the module 304 receiving the tape (leading edge) than the innerwrap angle α₃ on the trailing edge, as the tape 315 rides above thetrailing module 306. This difference is generally beneficial as asmaller α₃ tends to oppose what has heretofore been a steeper exitingeffective wrap angle.

Note that the tape bearing surfaces 308, 312 of the outer modules 302,306 are positioned to achieve a negative wrap angle at the trailing edge320 of the leading module 302. This is generally beneficial in helpingto reduce friction due to contact with the trailing edge 320, providedthat proper consideration is given to the location of the crowbar regionthat forms in the tape where it peels off the head. This negative wrapangle also reduces flutter and scrubbing damage to the elements on theleading module 302. Further, at the trailing module 306, the tape 315flies over the tape bearing surface 312 so there is virtually no wear onthe elements when tape is moving in this direction. Particularly, thetape 315 entrains air and so will not significantly ride on the tapebearing surface 312 of the third module 306 (some contact may occur).This is permissible, because the leading module 302 is writing while thetrailing module 306 is idle.

Writing and reading functions are performed by different modules at anygiven time. In one embodiment, the second module 304 includes aplurality of data and optional servo readers 331 and no writers. Thefirst and third modules 302, 306 include a plurality of writers 322 andno readers, with the exception that the outer modules 302, 306 mayinclude optional servo readers. The servo readers may be used toposition the head during reading and/or writing operations. The servoreader(s) on each module are typically located towards the end of thearray of readers or writers.

By having only readers or side by side writers and servo readers in thegap between the substrate and closure, the gap length can besubstantially reduced. Typical heads have piggybacked readers andwriters, where the writer is formed above each reader. A typical gap is25-35 microns. However, irregularities on the tape may tend to droopinto the gap and create gap erosion. Thus, the smaller the gap is thebetter. The smaller gap enabled herein exhibits fewer wear relatedproblems.

In some embodiments, the second module 304 has a closure, while thefirst and third modules 302, 306 do not have a closure. Where there isno closure, preferably a hard coating is added to the module. Onepreferred coating is diamond-like carbon (DLC).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the first, second, and third modules302, 304, 306 each have a closure 332, 334, 336, which extends the tapebearing surface of the associated module, thereby effectivelypositioning the read/write elements away from the edge of the tapebearing surface. The closure 332 on the second module 304 can be aceramic closure of a type typically found on tape heads. The closures334, 336 of the first and third modules 302, 306, however, may beshorter than the closure 332 of the second module 304 as measuredparallel to a direction of tape travel over the respective module. Thisenables positioning the modules closer together. One way to produceshorter closures 334, 336 is to lap the standard ceramic closures of thesecond module 304 an additional amount. Another way is to plate ordeposit thin film closures above the elements during thin filmprocessing. For example, a thin film closure of a hard material such asSendust or nickel-iron alloy (e.g., 45/55) can be formed on the module.

With reduced-thickness ceramic or thin film closures 334, 336 or noclosures on the outer modules 302, 306, the write-to-read gap spacingcan be reduced to less than about 1 mm, e.g., about 0.75 mm, or 50% lessthan standard LTO tape head spacing. The open space between the modules302, 304, 306 can still be set to approximately 0.5 to 0.6 mm, which insome embodiments is ideal for stabilizing tape motion over the secondmodule 304.

Depending on tape tension and stiffness, it may be desirable to anglethe tape bearing surfaces of the outer modules relative to the tapebearing surface of the second module. FIG. 6 illustrates an embodimentwhere the modules 302, 304, 306 are in a tangent or nearly tangent(angled) configuration. Particularly, the tape bearing surfaces of theouter modules 302, 306 are about parallel to the tape at the desiredwrap angle α₂ of the second module 304. In other words, the planes ofthe tape bearing surfaces 308, 312 of the outer modules 302, 306 areoriented at about the desired wrap angle α₂ of the tape 315 relative tothe second module 304. The tape will also pop off of the trailing module306 in this embodiment, thereby reducing wear on the elements in thetrailing module 306. These embodiments are particularly useful forwrite-read-write applications. Additional aspects of these embodimentsare similar to those given above.

Typically, the tape wrap angles may be set about midway between theembodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment where the modules 302, 304, 306 are inan overwrap configuration. Particularly, the tape bearing surfaces 308,312 of the outer modules 302, 306 are angled slightly more than the tape315 when set at the desired wrap angle α₂ relative to the second module304. In this embodiment, the tape does not pop off of the trailingmodule, allowing it to be used for writing or reading. Accordingly, theleading and middle modules can both perform reading and/or writingfunctions while the trailing module can read any just-written data.Thus, these embodiments are preferred for write-read-write,read-write-read, and write-write-read applications. In the latterembodiments, closures should be wider than the tape canopies forensuring read capability. The wider closures will force a widergap-to-gap separation. Therefore a preferred embodiment has awrite-read-write configuration, which may use shortened closures thatthus allow closer gap-to-gap separation.

Additional aspects of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are similarto those given above.

A 32 channel version of a multi-module head 126 may use cables 350having leads on the same pitch as current 16 channel piggyback LTOmodules, or alternatively the connections on the module may beorgan-keyboarded for a 50% reduction in cable span. Over-under, writingpair unshielded cables can be used for the writers, which may haveintegrated servo readers.

The outer wrap angles α₁ may be set in the drive, such as by guides ofany type known in the art, such as adjustable rollers, slides, etc. Forexample, rollers having an offset axis may be used to set the wrapangles. The offset axis creates an orbital arc of rotation, allowingprecise alignment of the wrap angle α₁.

To assemble any of the embodiments described above, conventional u-beamassembly can be used. Accordingly, the mass of the resultant head can bemaintained or even reduced relative to heads of previous generations. Inother approaches, the modules may be constructed as a unitary body.Those skilled in the art, armed with the present teachings, willappreciate that other known methods of manufacturing such heads may beadapted for use in constructing such heads.

In magnetic head structures, it may be desirable to incorporate sensorprotection for a reader transducer. Such protection may involverecessing one or more shields associated with the reader transducer.However, conventional magnetic recording heads that have recessed readersensors may also have recessed write poles with accordingly reducedwriting performance due to spacing loss.

Embodiments of the present invention overcome the aforementioneddrawback by providing a magnetic recording head that incorporatesrecessed reader sensors as well as zero or near-zero recessed writepoles. Preferably, the magnetic recording head includes merged orpiggybacked read and write transducers that incorporate recessed readersensors and zero or near-zero recessed write poles. The write poles mayonly be minimally recessed from the plane extending along the mediafacing side of the magnetic head to maximize writing efficiency,magnetic recording and data archiving. Additionally, in preferredembodiments, the reader sensor may be more recessed from said plane thanthe write poles and/or coated with a durable material.

FIG. 8A depicts a magnetic head 800 in accordance with variousillustrative embodiments. As an option, the present magnetic head 800may be implemented in conjunction with features from any otherembodiment listed herein, such as those described with reference to theother FIGS. Of course, however, such magnetic head 800 and otherspresented herein may be used in various applications and/or inpermutations, which may or may not be specifically described in theillustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, the magnetic head 800presented herein may be used in any desired environment.

As shown in FIGS. 8A-8B according to one approach, the magnetic head 800may include a module 802. In one embodiment, the magnetic head 800 mayinclude a second and/or third module having a configuration similar oridentical to the module 802. For example, the magnetic head 800 may besimilar to any of the magnetic heads described herein.

In another embodiment, the magnetic head 800 may be configured tooperate with tape media. In yet another embodiment, the magnetic head800 may include a slider that may be used, e.g. with a magnetic disk.

In a further embodiment, the magnetic head may include a closure 804 anda substrate 806. As shown in FIG. 8A, the closure 804 and substrate 806may define a portion of a media facing side 808 of the module 802.

Additionally, the magnetic head 800 may include one or more readtransducers 810 and one or more write transducers 812, as well asconventional layers such as insulating layers, leads, coils, etc. aswould be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the presentdescription. The one or more read transducers 810 and the one or morewrite transducers 812 may be positioned towards the media facing side808 of the module 802, in one approach. In another approach, the one ormore read transducers 810 and the one or more write transducers 812 maybe sandwiched in a gap portion between the closure 804 and the substrate806. In yet another approach, the one or more read transducers 810 andthe one or more write transducers 812 may be present in an array oftransducers extending along the media facing side 808 of the module 802.

The one or more read transducers 810 and the one or more writetransducers 812 may be selected from the group consisting of piggybackread-write transducers, merged read-write transducers, and interleavedread and write transducers, according to one embodiment. For example, inone approach the one or more read transducers 810 and the one or morewrite transducers 812 may be piggyback read-write transducers, such asthose depicted in FIG. 2C.

In another approach, as depicted in FIG. 8B, the one or more readtransducers 810 and the one or more write transducers 812 may be mergedread-write transducers, where an upper sensor shield acts as a pole ofthe writer as well as a sensor shield.

In yet another approach, as depicted in FIG. 8C, the one or more readtransducers 810 and the one or more write transducers 812 may beinterleaved read and write transducers, where the read and writetransducers alternate along the array.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, the magnetic head 800 may includeone or more read transducers 810 and one or more write transducers 812selected from a group consisting of piggyback read-write transducers,and merged read-write transducers.

According to another embodiment, the one or more write transducers 812may be flanked by servo read transducers, e.g. as in FIG. 2B.

As shown e.g., in FIG. 8A, according to yet another embodiment, the oneor more read transducers may each have at least one shield 816 and asensor 820, and the one or more write transducers 812 may include writepoles 814, one or more of which may be a laminate of layers, as shown inFIG. 8A Likewise one or more the shields 816 may be a laminate oflayers.

In a further embodiment, the write poles 814 of the one or more writetransducers 812 and the at least one shield 816 of each of the one ormore read transducers 810 may each comprise nickel and iron. In apreferred embodiment, the write poles 814 each have a higher ironcontent than the at least one shield 816 of each of the one or more readtransducers 810. For instance, in one approach the write poles 814 maycomprise 45/55 Ni—Fe. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the writepoles 814 and the at least one shield 816 of each of the one or moreread transducers 810 may comprise other materials, including, but notlimited to, cobalt-zirconium-tantalum (CZT), Al—Fe—Si (Sendust), etc. orother suitable material as would be understood by one having skill inthe art upon reading the present disclosure. In yet other embodiments,at least one reader shield may include Sendust, NiFe/Fe, laminatedNiFe/Fe or NiFe/Fe(N), etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 8A, the one or more write transducers812 may include write poles 814 having media facing sides that may berecessed a depth d₁ from a plane 822 extending along the media facingside 808 of the module 802, according to one embodiment. In variousapproaches, it may be favorable to minimize the spacing loss between theone or more write transducers 812 and the media, e.g. tape or disc, inorder to maximize the accuracy of the one or more write transducers 812.Accordingly, it may be preferable, in certain approaches, to minimizethe recession of the one or more write transducers 812 from the plane822.

For example, in one approach, the one or more write transducers 812 mayinclude write poles 814 having media facing sides with zero recessionfrom the plane 822, e.g. d₁=0. In an another approach, the one or morewrite transducers 812 may include write poles 814 having media facingsides with near-zero recession from the plane 822. As used herein,near-zero recession is defined as no greater than 7 nm from the plane822, e.g. d₁≦±7 nm. Note that a negative recession may refer to aprotrusion above the plane.

In a preferred embodiment, the media facing sides of the write poles 814may be recessed between 0 and ±7 nm from the plane, e.g. 0≦d₁≦±7 nm.

Again with reference to FIG. 8A, the media facing side of the at leastone shield 816 of the one or more read transducers 810 may be recessed adepth d₂ from the plane 822, in accordance with one embodiment. In someapproaches, the recession of the at least one shield 816 of the one ormore read transducers 810 may be favorable to protect the read sensor820 from wear.

For instance, in one approach, the media facing side of the at least oneshield 816 of the one or more read transducers 810 may be recessedgreater than or equal to 5 nm, from the plane 822, e.g. d₂≧5 nm, and inall cases d₂ is greater than d₁. In another approach, the media facingside of the at least one shield 816 of the one or more read transducers810 may be recessed greater than or equal to 6 nm (e.g. d₂≧6 nm), 8 nm(e.g. d₂≧8 nm), 10 nm (e.g. d₂≧10 nm), 15 nm (e.g. d₂≧15 nm), etc., fromthe plane 822.

In a preferred embodiment, the media facing side of the at least oneshield 816 of the one or more read transducers 810 may be more recessedfrom the plane 822 than the write poles 814. For example, the mediafacing side of the at least one shield 816 of the one or more readtransducers 810 may be recessed at least 5 nm, and preferable at least10 nm, more than the media facing sides of the write poles 814. In oneapproach, the media facing side of the at least one shield 816 of theone or more read transducers 810 may be recessed a depth d₃ from a plane902 extending along the media facing sides of the write poles 814, asshown in FIG. 9 according to another illustrative embodiment. The writepoles 814 have near zero recession.

In addition, as used herein, the write poles 814 of the one or morewrite transducers 812 and the at least one shield 816 of the one or moreread transducers 810 may be recessed by various processes including, butnot limited to, milling, sputtering, masking, etching, etc. or any othersuitable process that would be understood by one having skill in the artupon reading the present disclosure. In one exemplary approach, rasteredmilling may be used. In another illustrative approach, laser ablationmay be used. In a further illustrative approach, a portion of thestructure may be masked and an exposed portion milled, etched, etc.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-11, a magnetic head 1000 is depicted inaccordance with various embodiments. As an option, the present magnetichead 1000 may be implemented in conjunction with features from any otherembodiment listed herein, such as those described with reference to theother FIGS. Of course, however, such magnetic head 1000 and otherspresented herein may be used in various applications and/or inpermutations, which may or may not be specifically described in theillustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, the magnetic head 1000presented herein may be used in any desired environment.

As shown in FIG. 10 according to one approach, the magnetic head 1000may include one or more write transducers 812, which in turn may includeone or more write poles 814 having media facing sides with negativerecession from a plane 822 extending along the media facing side 808 ofthe module 802. As used herein, negative recession is defined as aprotrusion from the plane 822.

For example, in one embodiment, the media facing sides of the writepoles 814 may protrude a distance d₄ above the plane 822. In anotherembodiment, d₄ may be zero. In yet another embodiment, d₄ may be lessthan or equal to 7 nm (corresponding to a negative recession of up to 7nm). In a preferred embodiment, d₄ may be between zero and 5 nm(corresponding to a negative recession of up to 5 nm).

With continued reference to FIG. 10, the media facing side of the atleast one shield 816 of the one or more read transducers 810 may berecessed a depth d₂ from the plane 822 extending along the media facingside 808 of the module 802, in one approach. In the alternative, themedia facing side of the at least one shield 816 of the one or more readtransducers 810 may be recessed a depth d₅ from a plane 1002 extendingalong the media facing sides of the write poles 814, as shown in FIG. 10according to another illustrative approach.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a magnetic head 1100 is shown in accordancewith one illustrative embodiment. As an option, the present magnetichead 1100 may be implemented in conjunction with features from any otherembodiment listed herein, such as those described with reference to theother FIGS. Of course, however, such magnetic head 1100 and otherspresented herein may be used in various applications and/or inpermutations, which may or may not be specifically described in theillustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, the magnetic head 1100presented herein may be used in any desired environment.

As shown in FIG. 11 according to one approach, the magnetic head 1100may include a coating 1102 on the media facing side 808 of the module802 adjacent the one or more read transducers 810. In some approaches,the coating may serve to protect the one or more read transducers 810.In other embodiments, the coating may serve to protect from wear inducedby the magnetic medium.

Additionally, in one embodiment, the coating may have any shape,orientation, etc. depending on the desired embodiment. For example, thecoating 1102 may overlie the associated read or write transducer, e.g.,as a full film, etc.; may surround the transducer, e.g., in a donutshape; may be present in a strip or a stripe in front of, on top of,and/or behind the associated transducer in the direction of media travelthereacross; may sandwich the associated transducer laterally; etc., andcombinations thereof. In another embodiment, the coating 1102 may beapplied by a know means such as sputtering.

In yet another embodiment, the coating 1102 may comprise an insulatingmaterial, a dielectric material, or other suitable known material aswould be apparent to one having skill in the art upon reading thepresent disclosure. Nonlimiting examples include alumina, diamond-likecarbon (DLC), chrome oxide, nickel-chrome oxide, etc.

According to a further illustrative embodiment, a data storage systemmay include a magnetic head according to any of the approaches describedand/or suggested herein. The data storage system may additionallyinclude a drive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium over themagnetic head.

Furthermore, the data storage system may include a controllerelectrically coupled to the magnetic head. According to variousapproaches, the controller may be electrically coupled to the magnetichead via a wire, a cable, wirelessly, etc.

It will be clear that the various features of the foregoingmethodologies may be combined in any way, creating a plurality ofcombinations from the descriptions presented above.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of an embodiment of the presentinvention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a module having asubstrate, read and write transducers positioned toward a media facingside of the module, and a closure, wherein the write transducers includewrite poles having media facing sides with zero or near-zero recessionfrom a plane extending along the media facing side of the substrate ofthe module; wherein the read transducers each have two shields, whereinmedia facing sides of the shields are more recessed from the plane thanthe write poles; wherein the media facing sides of the shields arerecessed a same amount from the plane.
 2. An apparatus as recited inclaim 1, comprising a coating on the media facing side of the moduleadjacent the read transducers.
 3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1,wherein the media facing sides of the write poles are recessed from theplane extending along the media facing side of the substrate of themodule by a distance in a range from greater than 0 to 7 nm.
 4. Anapparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the write poles of the writetransducers and the shields of each of the read transducers eachcomprise nickel and iron, wherein the write poles each have a higheriron content than the shields of each of the read transducers.
 5. Anapparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the two shields of each of theread transducers are formed of a same material.
 6. An apparatus asrecited in claim 1, comprising a second module having a configurationsimilar or identical to the module, the modules being configured tooperate with tape media.
 7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, whereinthe module is a slider.
 8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, whereinthe module further includes a closure defining a portion of the mediafacing side of the module, wherein the closure and the substratesandwich the read and write transducers therebetween.
 9. An apparatus asrecited in claim 8, wherein a media-facing side of the closure and themedia facing side of the substrate extend along a common plane.
 10. Anapparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising: a drive mechanism forpassing a magnetic medium over the module; and a controller electricallycoupled to the module.
 11. An apparatus, comprising: a substrate havinga media facing side; and an array of read and write transducers, whereinthe write transducers include write poles having media facing sides,wherein the read transducers each have two shields, wherein the mediafacing sides of the shields are recessed a same amount from a planeextending along the media facing side of the substrate.
 12. An apparatusas recited in claim 11, wherein the media facing sides of the writepoles are recessed from greater than 0 to 7 nm from the plane.
 13. Anapparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the media facing sides of thewrite poles protrude above the plane.
 14. An apparatus as recited inclaim 11, comprising: a drive mechanism for passing a magnetic mediumover the transducers; and a controller electrically coupled to thetransducers.